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Understandest Thou?

A desert road, a confused official, Isaiah 53, and a missionary lesson taught straight from the Old Testament

  • 🏔️ Youth 16–18
  • Week 41
  • 📅 Sunday, October 11, 2026
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Isaiah 53 testifies that Jesus Christ carried our sins and our sorrows, and learning to find Him in the scriptures prepares us to receive His healing and to guide others to Him.

I can find Jesus Christ in Isaiah 53, let Him carry what I can’t, and help someone else understand what they’re reading, the way Philip did.

Study it yourself firstRead Isaiah 50–57 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Isaiah 50–57)
Know the chapters

Isaiah 50–57 moves from the Lord’s promise to rescue captive Israel to a portrait of the Rescuer. Isaiah 50:5–7 describes a servant who gives His back to those who strike Him. He sets His face like flint. Isaiah 52:13–53:12 is the “suffering servant.” He is despised and rejected, a man of sorrows, wounded for our transgressions. He’s silent as a lamb and numbered with the transgressors. Then come some of the tenderest promises in the Old Testament. The Lord says, “my kindness shall not depart from thee,” in 54:10. He calls, “Ho, every one that thirsteth,” in 55:1. And He dwells with the contrite and revives the humble, in 57:15.

Who is the servant in Isaiah 53? That exact question comes up in Acts 8:34. Some Jewish readers understand the servant as the people of Israel. The New Testament, the Book of Mormon and latter-day prophets testify that it’s Jesus Christ. Abinadi quotes and explains the whole chapter in Mosiah 14–15. A good discussion can honestly admit that people read it differently. Then look at why the fit with the Savior’s life is so striking. He was silent before His accusers, in Mark 15:3–5. He was numbered with the transgressors, in Mark 15:27–28. And He was buried with the rich, in Matthew 27:57–60.

Acts 8:26–39 is today’s scripture scene. Philip was one of the seven men chosen to help the Apostles, in Acts 6:5. He’s prompted to go to a desert road. There the treasurer of the Ethiopian queen is riding home from worshipping in Jerusalem. He’s reading Isaiah 53 aloud. Philip runs to the chariot and asks a question. He starts where the man already is, and “began at the same scripture.” He teaches Jesus and baptizes him. That’s a clean pattern for missionary work, and for any time a friend asks about your faith. One more detail for a thoughtful class. The man was a eunuch, and the law of Moses kept eunuchs out of the congregation, in Deuteronomy 23:1. Just three chapters after Isaiah 53, the Lord makes a promise in Isaiah 56:3–7. Eunuchs and foreigners who keep His covenants get a place in His house. They get “a name better than of sons and of daughters.” Many readers find it moving that this was the book he was holding.

Here’s the doctrine for this age. Jesus Christ suffered for our sins. He also took on our pains, sicknesses and sorrows so He’d know how to help us, in Alma 7:11–12. So the Atonement is for the youth who made a mistake last weekend. It’s also for the one carrying grief, anxiety or loneliness they didn’t cause. Priests in your class can baptize and bless the sacrament, in D&C 20:46. Several of your youth may be teaching Isaiah 53 on a mission within a year or two. Keep the tone reverent and hopeful. Don’t press anyone to share what they’re carrying.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Isaiah 53 and Acts 8:26–39. Open with Read It Cold. Walk through Maya’s text from the Teach Mode screens and ask each scene’s question. Have the youth mark Isaiah 53 in two colors, one for what He did and one for what we did. Or just point up and point to yourselves as you read. End by reading Isaiah 53:4–5 with “my” in place of “our.”

What to bring2 items

Tick what you have. Forgot something? Every step that needs a supply has a no-supplies version in the plan below.

Before class

  1. Read Isaiah 53 slowly, then Acts 8:26–39. Then read Maya’s seven scenes in Teach Mode. Notice how Philip starts with a question, not a speech.
  2. If you have a priest in class, ask him ahead of time to share one sentence. What does he think about when he blesses the sacrament? Don’t surprise him with it.
  3. Think of one short, honest time the Savior carried something heavy for you. It could be a sin, a sorrow or a fear.

If your class is wild

  • Isaiah 53 and a grieving friend can hit hard for a youth who has lost someone. Keep the room reverent. Never call on someone to share something personal. Follow up privately if someone looks shaken.
  • Let them disagree about what Maya should write. There’s no single right text. The pattern is the point: ask, listen, start where they are, point to Jesus.
  • If your class is quiet, answer the first case question yourself, honestly. When the teacher is honest, teens open up.
  • Let youth lead. A discussion leader reads the Real Talk questions. A priest or young woman can offer the closing prayer.

The 25-minute plan23 min + bonus

Bonus steps are for when you have extra time. Steps that mention Teach Mode, the Sound Board or other class games refer to the Gospel Sparks app; on the web you can play Forehead Guess and Scripture Showdown from this page.

1. Hook

Read It Cold

3 min

Trying to explain Isaiah 53:7–8 with no help puts every youth in the Ethiopian official’s seat.

  1. SAY“I need a brave volunteer to read Isaiah 53, verses 7 and 8, off the screen. No practice.”
  2. SAY“You’ve got twenty seconds to explain it to someone who’s never heard of Jesus. Go.”
  3. Start the Big Timer. Whatever they say, thank them. Ask the class, “What made that hard?” Expect old words, no context, and not knowing who “he” is.
  4. SAY“Today, a friend asks you about these exact verses. What do you do?”
🌪️ Pick a confident volunteer, or read it cold yourself. The point is that it’s hard, not to embarrass anyone.
⏱️ Big Timer (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 🧊 Explain Isaiah 53:7–8 in 20 seconds. Ready? · Isaiah 53:7–8

2. Story

Case Study: A Text About Isaiah 53

8 min

A realistic text from a grieving friend puts youth in Philip’s place and shows why Isaiah 53 points to Jesus Christ.

  1. SAY“Meet Maya. She isn’t real, but this could land on your phone tonight. Let’s see what she does.”
  2. Read each scene, then ask its question. Take two or three answers before moving on.
  3. At scene 3, pairs read Acts 8:30–35 and list Philip’s steps. He followed a prompting, ran, asked, started where the man was and taught Jesus.
  4. SAY“Some of you will be teaching Isaiah 53 on a mission in a year or two. Some of you will do it by text sooner.”
🌪️ If someone says “I’d just ignore the text,” thank them for being honest. Ask what would make it easier to answer.

Class screen: 📱 A grieving friend asks about Isaiah 53. What would you do? · Acts 8:26–39 · Isaiah 53

3. Scripture

Mark It Up: Him and Us

5 min

A two-color marking exercise builds a real study skill and shows how much of Isaiah 53 is about what He did for us.

  1. SAY“Let’s read it the way Maya finally did.”
  2. Pairs open Isaiah 53:2–12. They mark what HE did in one color and what WE did in another.
  3. After about two minutes, ask, “What do you notice?” We went astray and hid our faces. He bore, carried, was wounded and stayed silent.
  4. Teach Isaiah 53:4–5 with the memory hooks and say it together once.
  5. SAY“Alma 7, verses 11 and 12, says He took on our pains and sorrows too. So Isaiah 53 is also for when life just hurts.”
🌪️ If phones wander, have one person per pair read and the other mark. Swap halfway.

Class screen: 🖍️ Mark what HE did and what WE did in Isaiah 53. · Isaiah 53:2–12 · Isaiah 53:4–5

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: Scriptures: the youth’s own Gospel Library app, or a printed Bible for each pair

Him or Us?

  1. SAY“Let’s read it the way Maya finally did. If a phrase is about what HE did, point up. If it’s about what WE did, point to yourself.”
  2. Read Isaiah 53:3–7 slowly from your scriptures. Pause after each phrase so the class can point.
  3. Ask, “What do you notice?” We went astray and hid our faces. He bore, carried, was wounded and stayed silent.
  4. Teach Isaiah 53:4–5 with the memory hooks and say it together once. Add Alma 7:11–12. He carried our pains and sorrows too.

Class screen: ☝️ Point up for HIM. Point to yourself for US. · Isaiah 53:3–7

4. Talk it over

Real Talk

4 min

Honest questions connect Isaiah 53 to what the youth carry and to how they’ll teach it.

  1. SAY“Maya’s text is closer to your life than you think. Let’s be honest about it.”
  2. Hand your phone or tablet to a youth discussion leader to read the questions. Pick two or three. Share one honest answer yourself.
  3. With the first question, share President Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s words from the conference quotes.
💬 Ask the class
  • Isaiah 53:4 says He carried our griefs and sorrows, not just our sins. What does that mean for someone facing anxiety, loss or loneliness they didn’t cause?
  • Philip ran the moment the Spirit prompted him. What makes it hard to act on a prompting right away?
  • People read Isaiah 53 differently. Say a friend tells you it isn’t about Jesus. How would you answer, honestly and kindly?
  • Priests bless the sacrament every week. How could Isaiah 53 change what you think about while it’s passed?

Class screen: 💬 Real talk

5. Testimony

Read It with My Name

3 min

Reading Isaiah 53:4–5 personally helps each youth feel the Savior carried their own sins and sorrows.

  1. SAY“Lucas’s grandma wrote ‘for me’ in her margin. Let’s read it that way.”
  2. Show Isaiah 53:4–5 on the screen.
  3. SAY“Read it silently. Everywhere it says ‘our,’ read ‘my.’ Everywhere it says ‘we,’ read ‘I.’”
  4. Give them a full thirty seconds. If a priest agreed ahead of time, invite him to share his one sentence about the sacrament.
  5. Share your short example of the Savior carrying something for you. Testify that He’ll carry what they give Him. Then introduce the challenge and ask a youth to pray.

Class screen: 🕊️ Surely He hath borne MY griefs, and carried MY sorrows. · Isaiah 53:4–5

6. Wiggle break

Would You Go?

2 minBONUS

If the class needs to move, a standing line-up turns Philip’s quick obedience into honest self-assessment about promptings.

  1. SAY“Everyone up. This wall is ‘I’d go right away.’ That wall is ‘No way.’ The middle is ‘Maybe.’”
  2. Read each prompting from the screen. Youth move to where they honestly are. Ask someone in the middle, “What would move you one step closer?”
  3. SAY“Philip ran. Not because he had a speech ready. He trusted that the Spirit knew something he didn’t.”

Class screen: 🏃 A prompting comes. Would you go right away, maybe, or no way? · Text a quiet friend · Sit by the new kid · Explain why you don’t drink · Invite a friend · Share your testimony

7. Game

Scripture Showdown

5 minBONUS

If you have extra time, a fast team quiz reviews the whole lesson.

  1. SAY“Two teams, one captain each. Ten seconds to huddle, and only the captain answers.”
  2. Tap Scripture Showdown and play.
  3. If a team misses, the other team can steal the point by naming the chapter.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown: Isaiah 50–57

Case study

Case Study: A Text About Isaiah 53

Acts 8:26–39; Isaiah 53 ↗

Scenes

  1. 📱🌙 A text at 10 p.m.

    Maya is seventeen. Her friend Lucas isn’t religious. Last week, he buried his grandma. Tonight he texts: “Found her Bible. She underlined a bunch of Isaiah 53. You’re religious. Who is this even about?”

    🙌 Ask: “If you were Maya, what’s your first instinct?”

  2. 😰⌨️ Maya freezes

    Maya has never really read Isaiah 53. She types a long paragraph. Deletes it. Types a Primary answer. Deletes that too. She’s scared of saying it wrong. And she’s scared of sounding preachy to someone who’s grieving.

    🙌 Ask: “What makes a moment like this scary?”

  3. 🐎📖 Pause: a desert road, 2,000 years ago

    Someone faced this exact moment once. The Spirit sent Philip to a chariot. Inside, an Ethiopian official was reading Isaiah 53 aloud. Philip ran to him and asked, “Understandest thou what thou readest?” The man said, “How can I, except some man should guide me?”

    🙌 Pairs read Acts 8:30–35. Ask, “What did Philip do first? Preach, or ask?”

  4. ❓💬 Maya asks a question back

    Maya writes: “I’m so sorry about your grandma. Which part did she underline?” Lucas sends a photo. “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows.” Then he adds: “she wrote ‘for me’ next to it.”

    🙌 Ask: “Why is asking a question a better start than a speech?”

  5. 🐑🤫 Who is “he”?

    Maya reads the whole chapter herself for the first time. Despised and rejected. Silent like a lamb. Numbered with the transgressors. Buried with the rich. Her heart starts pounding. She knows who this sounds like.

    🙌 Read Isaiah 53:3–5 together. Ask: “What would Maya want Lucas to know from these verses?”

  6. 🤔✝️ “Why would God need to suffer?”

    Maya tells Lucas that Christians believe it’s about Jesus Christ. He carried grief and sorrow, not just sins. Lucas writes back: “Ok but why would God need to suffer? That’s weird.”

    🙌 Ask: “How would you answer honestly and kindly?” If they’re stuck, point to Alma 7:11–12.

  7. 🕊️📲 “She’d have liked that”

    Maya answers as best she can. She admits what she doesn’t know. Lucas goes quiet for a while. Then: “Thanks. That actually helped. My grandma would’ve liked that you explained it.”

    🙌 Ask: “What would Philip do next?”

Key verse

Isaiah 53:4–5 ↗
“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows … But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”
In plain words: Jesus Christ carried our grief and sorrow, not just our sins. He was hurt for the wrong things we do, and because He suffered, we can be forgiven, have peace, and be healed.
🙌 Memory hooks: “borne our griefs… carried our sorrows” = lift an invisible load onto your shoulder · “wounded… bruised” = two fists crossed over your chest · “the chastisement of our peace” = open palms, calm · “with his stripes we are healed” = one hand sweeps slowly down the other arm.

More verses

Acts 8:30–31 ↗
“Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me?”
In plain words: Philip asked if he understood what he was reading. The man honestly admitted he needed someone to guide him.
Isaiah 53:3 ↗
“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him”
In plain words: People rejected Him and looked away from Him. He knows sorrow from the inside.
Isaiah 54:10 ↗
“For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed”
In plain words: Mountains could move before the Lord stops being kind to you or breaks His covenant of peace.
Isaiah 57:15 ↗
“I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”
In plain words: The holy God of heaven also chooses to live close to people who are humble and sorry, to bring their hearts back to life.

Forehead Guess words16 words

  • 🏃 Philip
  • 🐎 Chariot
  • 💼 Treasurer
  • 🏜️ Desert road
  • 😢 Man of sorrows
  • 🐑 Lamb
  • 🩹 Stripes
  • 🚫 Transgressions
  • 🎒 Griefs
  • 💧 Baptism
  • 💭 Prompting
  • 🔥 Abinadi
  • 🍞 Sacrament
  • 🧳 Mission
  • 🙇 Contrite
  • 👣 Beautiful feet
Clues for each word
  • Philip: Ran to a chariot when the Spirit prompted him
  • Chariot: Where the official was reading Isaiah
  • Treasurer: Managed the Ethiopian queen’s money
  • Desert road: Where the angel sent Philip, toward Gaza
  • Man of sorrows: Isaiah 53:3 title for the Savior
  • Lamb: Silent before its shearers
  • Stripes: “With his ___ we are healed”
  • Transgressions: He was wounded for ours
  • Griefs: Heavy sorrows He has borne
  • Baptism: “See, here is water; what doth hinder me?”
  • Prompting: What the Spirit gave Philip
  • Abinadi: Book of Mormon prophet who quoted all of Isaiah 53
  • Sacrament: Priests bless it every Sunday
  • Mission: Where you might teach Isaiah 53 someday
  • Contrite: The Lord dwells with this kind of heart (57:15)
  • Beautiful feet: Belong to those who bring good tidings (52:7)
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown9 questions

  1. What was the Ethiopian official reading in his chariot?
    • A. The Psalms
    • B. Isaiah
    • C. Genesis
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Isaiah Acts 8:28, 32–33. He was reading what we call Isaiah 53:7–8.

  2. What was the first thing Philip said to him?
    • A. A question
    • B. A sermon
    • C. A warning
    Show answer

    ✅ A. A question “Understandest thou what thou readest?” Philip started by asking.

  3. What did the official ask Philip about Isaiah’s words?
    • A. “How old is this book?”
    • B. “Can I keep this scroll?”
    • C. “Of whom speaketh the prophet?”
    Show answer

    ✅ C. “Of whom speaketh the prophet?” Acts 8:34. Philip began at that scripture and taught him Jesus.

  4. Isaiah 53:7 compares the Savior to a sheep that is…
    • A. lost
    • B. silent before her shearers
    • C. leading the flock
    Show answer

    ✅ B. silent before her shearers Mark 15:3–5: before His accusers, He answered nothing.

  5. Besides our sins, Alma 7:11–12 says the Savior took on our…
    • A. grades
    • B. pains, sicknesses, and sorrows
    • C. chores
    Show answer

    ✅ B. pains, sicknesses, and sorrows So He knows exactly how to help us.

  6. Which Book of Mormon prophet quoted all of Isaiah 53?
    • A. Abinadi
    • B. Alma the Younger
    • C. Ether
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Abinadi Mosiah 14, before King Noah’s priests.

  7. What did the official say when they reached water?
    • A. “Let’s rest here”
    • B. “Give my horses a drink”
    • C. “What doth hinder me to be baptized?”
    Show answer

    ✅ C. “What doth hinder me to be baptized?” Acts 8:36. He was ready to act on what he learned.

  8. Isaiah 54:10: what shall not depart, even if mountains do?
    • A. The temple
    • B. The Lord’s kindness
    • C. Jerusalem
    Show answer

    ✅ B. The Lord’s kindness His kindness and His covenant of peace stay put.

  9. After the baptism, how did the official go on his way?
    • A. Rejoicing
    • B. Confused
    • C. Afraid
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Rejoicing Acts 8:39. Understanding the Savior changed his whole trip home.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

From general conference

“It matters not how you became lost—whether because of your own poor choices or because of circumstances beyond your control.”

— President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “He Will Place You on His Shoulders and Carry You Home,” April 2016

Share in Real Talk with the first question: Isaiah 53 covers both our sins and the sorrows we didn’t choose.

Read the talk ↗

Songs

  • I Know That My Redeemer Lives Hymns, no. 136

    Isaiah 53 describes the Redeemer’s suffering; this hymn celebrates that He lives. Sing it after the testimony. Find it ↗

  • I Need Thee Every Hour Hymns, no. 98

    A quiet opener for a lesson about letting the Savior carry what we can’t. Find it ↗

  • Called to Serve Hymns, no. 249

    Philip followed a call to a desert road. Good for classes with future missionaries. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Be Someone’s Philip

During the sacrament this Sunday, read Isaiah 53:4–5 with “my” instead of “our.” Give the Savior one specific thing you’ve been carrying. Then act on the first prompting you get this week to help someone. Do it even if you don’t know what to say yet. Philip didn’t either.

Text the parents

This week we studied Isaiah 53. It testifies that Jesus Christ carried our sins and our sorrows. We also practiced answering a grieving friend’s question about it. Philip did the same when he taught the Ethiopian treasurer from that chapter in Acts 8. Ask your teen what Philip did first when he reached the chariot. How could that help when a friend asks about their faith?

📝 After class

What worked? Who needs a check-in this week? Jot it here on a printed copy, or in the app’s private class notes.

Got extra time?

🏷️ A Name Better Than Sons and Daughters · 4 min

  1. Explain briefly, without reading it aloud, that Deuteronomy 23:1 kept eunuchs out of the congregation under the law of Moses.
  2. Have the class read Isaiah 56:3–7. The Lord promises eunuchs and strangers who keep His covenants a place in His house.
  3. Point out that the Ethiopian official was a eunuch. He was reading Isaiah just three chapters earlier.
  4. Ask, “Who feels left out at church or at school? How can we show them there’s a place for them in the Lord’s house?”

🦸 Hero Casting Call · 4 min

  1. In two teams, pitch a blockbuster hero who saves the world. Give the powers, the look and the soundtrack.
  2. Read Isaiah 53:2–3. Compare their hero with this one: no beauty we’d desire, despised, rejected.
  3. Ask, “Why would Heavenly Father send a Savior who suffers with us, not one who rescues from far away?”

🚰 Come to the Waters · 3 min

  1. Read Isaiah 55:1–2. Ask, “What do people our age spend money and energy on that doesn’t satisfy?”
  2. Read 55:8–9. Ask for a time God’s way turned out higher than their plan.
  3. Invite each youth to name one free thing the Lord offers that actually satisfies.

⏱️ The Philip Challenge · 4 min

  1. Pair up. One partner picks a question a friend might ask. “Who is Isaiah 53 even about?” “Why would God need to suffer?” “Why go on a mission?”
  2. The other gets about 60 seconds to answer Philip’s way. Ask a question back, start where they are, point to Jesus Christ and invite.
  3. Switch and go again. Take a quick vote. Which pair nailed “start where they are”?

Sources

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version, the Bible used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Tap or click a reference to open it in Gospel Library. Start with the official Come, Follow Me manual; these ideas are here to help it come alive.

All Youth 16–18 lessons